Chris Christie Mocks Trump: ‘He’s Never Run Against Somebody from New Jersey’

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Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie believes he is the man to match former President Donald Trump in the Republican primary field, asserting that the former president has “never run against somebody from New Jersey who understands what the New York thing is” and declaring that Trump “knows” that Christie is aware of “what his game is.”

Speaking to the New York Times, Christie, who was head of his state during the “BridgeGate” scandal, told the outlet that Trump is one of the “most unskilled politicians I’ve ever met.”

“I don’t think he’s ever gone up against somebody who knows how to do what he does. He’s never run against somebody from New Jersey who understands what the New York thing is and what he’s all about,” Christie said.

“For people like me, who’ve grown up here and lived my whole life in this atmosphere, he’s just one of a lot of people I know who have that personality. He knows I know what his game is,” Christie warned.

Christie’s tough guy persona, however, has not appeared to resonate with voters thus far. The latest Morning Consult survey, for instance, found Christie boasting the highest unfavorable rating among all the GOP candidates. Forty-six percent of Republican primary voters have an unfavorable view of the former governor. Further, he garners just two percent support, compared to Trump’s 57 percent in the crowded field.

RELATED– Chris Christie on Trump: ‘His Grip on the Party Is Diminishing’

That, however, has not stopped Christie and his criticisms.

“I think that he’ll show up at the debates because his ego won’t permit him not to,” Christie said of Trump’s participation in the Republican primary debates.

“He can’t have a big TV show that he’s not on,” the former governor said. “He’s on Truth Social going bonkers, and no one’s paying attention? He won’t deal well with that.”

It remains to be seen what Trump’s future plans are regarding GOP debates, but there have been rumors that the former president is considering alternate programming.

That aside, Trump has continued to hit back against Christie, mocking the presidential hopeful following his official entrance into the race.

“How many times did Chris Christie use the word SMALL? Does he have a psychological problem with SIZE? Actually, his speech was SMALL, and not very good,” Trump said on Truth Social of Christie’s speech.

“It rambled all over the place, and nobody had a clue of what he was talking about. Hard to watch, boring, but that’s what you get from a failed Governor (New Jersey) who left office with a 7% approval rating and then got run out of New Hampshire. This time, it won’t be any different!” he exclaimed.

Christie, a former Trump transition team official, however, said it “never” bothers him.

“Coming from him? Who cares? Look in the mirror. I always thought it was very funny that he has this vision of himself. He told me one time the reason he ties his ties so long is that it slenderizes him and I should do the same thing,” Christie told the Times.

The release of the Times article follows Christie’s speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy conference last month. The presidential hopeful prompted boos from some members of the audience after criticizing Trump.

“Why am I running for president of the United States? I’m running because [Trump’s] let us down. He has let us down because he’s unwilling — he’s unwilling to take responsibility for any of the mistakes that were made,” Christie said as some members of the crowd became audibly irritated, “any of the faults that he has, and any of the things that he’s done.”

“And that is not leadership, everybody. That is a failure of leadership,” he pressed on as the crowd booed him.

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